ou identify that?" he asked.

"Yes," said Simmonds. "It is the robe worn by Miss Vaughan on the
night of the tragedy. My initials are on the left sleeve."

"That also has blood-marks on it, I believe?"

"Yes, sir;" and, indeed, we could all perceive the marks.

"Human blood?"

"Yes, sir. I had it tested, too."

"That is all," said Goldberger, quickly, and placed on the stand the
head of the Identification Bureau.

"Mr. Sylvester," he began, "you have examined the marks on these
garments?"

"Yes, sir."

"What did you make of them?"

"They are all unquestionably finger-marks, but most of them are mere
smudges. However, the fabric of which these robes are made is a very
hard and finely-meshed silk, with an unusually smooth surface, and I
succeeded in discovering a few marks on which the lines were
sufficiently distinct for purposes of identification. These I have
photographed. The lines are much plainer in the photographs than on
the cloth."

"Have you the photographs with you?"

"I have," and Sylvester produced them from a pocket. "These are the
prints on the robe belonging to the murdered man," he added, passing
four cards to the coroner. "You will notice that two of them show the
right thumb, though one is not very distinct; another shows the right
fore-finger, and the fourth the right middle-finger."

"You consider these plain enough for purposes of identification?"

"Undoubtedly. Any one of them would be enough."

Goldberger passed the photographs to the foreman of the jury, who
looked at them vacantly.

"And the other photographs?" he asked.

"I got only two prints from the other robe," said Sylvester. "All but
these were hopelessly smudged, as though the hand had moved while
touching the garment."

"You mean they were all made by one hand?" asked Goldberger.

"Yes, sir; by the right hand. Again I have a print of the thumb and
one of the third finger."

He passed the photographs over, and again Goldberger handed them on to
the jury.

"Mr. Sylvester," said the coroner, "you consider the finger-print
method of identification a positive one, do you not?"

"Absolutely so."

"Even with a single finger?"

"Perhaps with a single finger there may be some doubt, if there is no
other evidence. Somebody has computed that the chance of two prints
being exactly the same is one in sixty-four millions."

"And where there is other evidence?"

"I should say that a single finger was enough."

"Sup